Hi Everyone

The Reference Department at Harriet Irving Library will launch LIVE
(Library Information in a Virtual Environment), its online reference
service, on September 17, 2001.  This is a trial service, funded by
HRDC's Office of Learning Technologies, and will use LSSI's Virtual
Reference Desk software.  LIVE uses 'hipbone' software, which
enables us to follow the stages of a real, online database search
together. It also e-mails a complete transcript of each session to
both parties, so that students can be reminded of what instructions
were given to them during the session.
Please take a look at our site for a description of the service, at
http://www.lib.unb.ca/disted/LIVE/index.html

Before LIVE goes live, we would like experience fielding calls from
off campus, and so we invite you to log in to the service and chat
online with us.   We will be staffing the service on August 21st and
22nd, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  If you want to pretend to be a
student with a reference question, we will play along.

Because you probably do not have access to our proxy server, you
will need to use an alternate URL to access the service.  To get to
LIVE on the 21st and 22nd, please go to:
www.virtualreference.net/open/unb.htm

A note: we have noticed one glitch with the software.  Please do not
try to open a second browser window while in a chat session.  You
will lose your connection.  If you want another browser window
running, please open it before logging in.  If you do lose your
connection during a session,  just log back in and you will be picked
up again.

Thank-you for helping us with this trial.  This is a new medium for
most of us, so pardon any clumsiness as we learn our way!

Yours - Joanne






Joanne Smyth
Distance Education Services
University of New Brunswick Libraries
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canada
Tel: 506-453-3516
Fax: 506-453-4831
http://www.lib.unb.ca